About a year ago, Sovereign Grand Commander Ronald A. Seale, 33°, asked me to be Chairman of the Advisory Panel, Scottish Rite Masons committed to the success of the Rebuilding the Temple Campaign, who would serve as primary advisors to the Sovereign Grand Commander, the Grand Executive Director, the Development Office, and the campaign consultants, Odell, Simms and Lynch, Inc.

Many Masons who have visited the House of the Temple are aware that the Library of the Supreme Council was started with Albert Pike’s Collection of several thousand volumes, and that it was the first free library open to the public in Washington, D.C. But the story of how the Library grew to a collection of over 200,000 volumes is simply incredible.

John Russell Pope, born in New York in 1874, was a distinguished architect of the early twentieth century. He is best known for designing the Jefferson Memorial, the National Gallery of Art West, and the National Archives building.

Carving the sphinxes from single blocks of stone could not be duplicated today. At 165 pounds per cubic foot, the limestone block for each sphinx weighs about 76 tons! Moving such a block on modern-day streets would be impossible.

The Rebuilding the Temple Campaign is off to a great start. When the Sovereign Grand Commander and the Supreme Council formally launched the Campaign for the House of the Temple in 2009, several individuals immediately stepped up to donate to Rebuilding the Temple to ensure that this Temple will be here for their children and grandchildren to enjoy; several other members made contributions before the Campaign was even announced.

The tradition of Military Lodges is not as strong today as it was two centuries ago, but it continues wherever troops have answered the call of duty. Lodges serving American and Allied forces and meeting in forward locations include Cross Swords Military Lodge No. 150, Tigris Military Lodge No. 151, VBC Euphrates Military Lodge No. 152, all under the MW Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Maryland. The newest lodge to proudly continue this tradition “down range” is Canada Lodge, U.D. under the Grand Lodge of Canada in the Province of Ontario.

The 2010 National Scout Jamboree held at Ft. A. P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia, provided the backdrop for many historic opportunities for its participants, which included over 45,000 Boy Scouts, Scout leaders, and staff. Front and center was the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).

Mausolus was a Satrap of the Persian Empire and reigned from the town of Halicarnassus starting in 377 BC. Upon his death in 353 bc, his wife Artemisia began construction of a magnificent tomb for him in the center of the city. She died two years later, but the artisans completed the tomb to honor the two rulers and the skills of the sculptors. Its beauty became so famous that the word mausoleum now refers to any stately tomb.